Hope Harbor comes to SKYCTC to help the fight against sexual assault

BOWLING GREEN Ky.- Hope Harbor in Bowling Green is a sexual trauma recovery center, and with it being Sexual Assault Awareness Month, representatives are spreading the word.

On Tuesday, Hope Harbor set up an event called Nacho Fault at South Central Kentucky Community Technical College, where students could come to a safe space and learn more on how to help fight sexual assault.  Hope Harbor community educator Linda Stockton explains what it means to get involved in the effort.

“Being able to stand together and create a safe space that supports survivors but also that makes a statement the overall community that this happens, it’s not okay, and we’re not going to stand for it,” Stockton said.

Nicole Leonard, who is a volunteer and advocate with Hope Harbor was one of the representatives who visited Tuesday, and uses her own personal story to help those in need.

“Honestly, I try to relate. There’s absolutely no way because every single event is significant to a single person and they’re all very different. Different people are emotionally impacted in different ways. It’s nice to know that somebody is going through the same types of things that you’re going through. There’s a comfort in that,” Leonard said.

With her own experiences, Leonard says this is her calling.

“I know so many people that have been affected by sexual violence and there’s one of those things that you feel a calling and you can’t just sit by and let the community go either uneducated or not stand next to these victims regularly and let them know that even beyond their inner circle, there are people who want to help them and are willing to stand up for them in a larger way,” Leonard said.

Hope Harbor is hosting an event called first things first on April 16. Original work will be performed by local writers on the topics of sexual violence, and recovery.